


Jason “they think I’m straight” Grace and the Bi Disaster Incident

by WildWolf25



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Friends to Future Lovers, Getting Together, Humor, Jason Grace is Bisexual, M/M, Multi, Nico is gay, Percy Jackson is bi and demi, Platonic Cuddling, all three are disasters, canon universe but canon divergent, it's platonic until the end and then it's only kinda platonic, mentions of past Jason/Piper and Percy/Annabeth and Nico/Will, sometimes you're just sad after a breakup and need to cuddle your bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27219307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildWolf25/pseuds/WildWolf25
Summary: Nico hovered near the armchair, sipping his coffee and looking between the movie and the two on the bed. “So, are you guys…?”“Platonically cuddling?” Percy finished. “Yep. Just a couple’a guys being dudes.”Nico hummed thoughtfully.Jason took his eyes off the movie and glanced at Nico. “Feel free to join us if you want. There’s room.” He patted the open space next to him and offered the son of Hades a smile.“It’s not weird,” Percy added. “Jason’s straight, so he doesn’t care.”Nico’s eyebrows flew up so high they disappeared behind his overgrown bangs. Jason choked a little on nothing, but managed to cover it up with a cough and busied himself by reaching over to put his phone on the bedside table again.“Y-yeah, no, it’s not weird at all,” Jason said, feeling like his ears were burning.Faex,Percy, it wasn’t weird until you went and said that!
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Jason Grace/Percy Jackson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 185





	Jason “they think I’m straight” Grace and the Bi Disaster Incident

**Author's Note:**

> I heard October 26th was "no homo day" and remembered I had this sitting in my drafts, finished and ready to post. Seemed appropriate, lol. This was inspired by a couple of tiktoks, plus my irritation at much of the fandom as a whole labeling Jason as "the token boring straight guy" (boy doesn't read as 100% straight to me!) 
> 
> This takes place in some indeterminate time post-series, but in a timeline where the Trials of Apollo didn't happen (everyone is _alive_ and _happy,_ gosh dang it!)

Jason was lounging on his bed watching TV in his apartment when he noticed someone coming up the stairs. His second-floor studio apartment was tiny, just one open room with a closet of a bathroom that had the only interior door in the place, so he could easily see the front door from his bed. Through the window beside the door, he saw Percy pass by briefly, then most of him moved out of view as he stood in front of the door. Jason was expecting to hear a knock, but none came. He peered at the window, but all he could see was half of Percy’s torso and his right arm. Percy shifted his weight and raised and lowered his arm a few times, as if debating whether he should knock on the door or not. 

Curious, Jason got up and crossed the apartment to the door. On his way over there, Percy seemed to abandon his quest to knock on the door and instead started to head down the stairs, but he caught sight of Jason through the window. Jason could almost  _ see  _ him cursing internally, his seaglass-green eyes widening like he got caught doing something he shouldn’t have. Before Percy could escape down the stairs, Jason unlocked and opened the door. 

“Hey,” he greeted, a little confused. “You need something?” 

“Ah,” Percy rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Um, nah. I mean, I guess not. Never mind.” 

Jason was aware that Percy was staying at Camp Jupiter for a week for some business, and had been put up in the Fifth Cohort’s cabin. That meant he had walked half a mile past the Fields of Mars, gotten past Terminus at the Pomeranian Line, made it through downtown New Rome, and into the residential area where Jason’s apartment was located. Surely, he didn’t come all this way for ‘nothing’

“You sure?” Jason looked at him seriously. 

“Yeah, no,” Percy said, which didn’t really clear anything up. “I mean, it’s dumb. So, it’s nothing.” 

“Just because something is ‘dumb’ doesn’t mean it’s nothing,” Jason pointed out. “And nothing is ever really ‘dumb’.” 

Percy thought about that. He sighed. “I guess.” He glanced at Jason, then looked around like the squirrels in the tree beside Jason’s second-floor landing might be listening in. “Can I come in?” he asked, pointing hesitantly at the door. 

“Yeah, of course.” Jason stepped back and held open the door. 

“Thanks,” Percy said. He looked around Jason’s apartment while Jason closed the door behind them.

“Sorry the place is so small.” Jason winced apologetically. It was a little weird to have everything all in one room, but New Rome real estate was expensive. He didn’t even have space for a couch, instead having to use his bed or the one single armchair to watch TV (and don’t even get him started on the lack of counter space in the kitchen… he had to do all his cooking right on the table)

“It’s fine, I’ve seen my share of little studio apartments in New York,” Percy said. “Your place is nice.” 

“Thanks.” Jason leaned back against the kitchen table and gestured for Percy to make himself comfortable in the armchair. “So, what’s up?” 

Percy sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Well, you know how Annabeth and I broke up, like, a month ago?” 

Jason nodded. They’d tried to keep it quiet, but gossip spread amongst demigods like wildfire. He’d heard whispers about Camp Half-Blood’s golden couple ー who had survived Tartarus and seemed like they’d be together forever ー having broken up even before he saw the new distance between them when the Greeks visited Camp Jupiter. They were amicable enough and were fine working together on projects to improve camp relations, but there was still a slight awkwardness between them and they avoided being around each other without the buffer of other people. Jason had to admit he admired the way they were handling it; his breakup with Piper had hurt, but he thought it would have hurt even more to see her all the time at the same camp. 

“You doing okay, man?” Jason asked, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, I mean, kinda,” Percy sighed. “As well as I can, I guess. Like, it sucks, and it still kinda hurts, but… I’m managing, I guess.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair, messing it up. “But also, without her I’m just… kinda lonely? Like I miss being close to someone and just sitting together watching a movie or something. You know, like…” he trailed off, gesturing inarticulately for a moment before hugging his arms around himself with a sigh. It was that small thing that caught Jason’s attention and let him know, more than the vague gesturing, what he meant. 

“Physical contact with another human being?” Jason clarified. 

Percy snapped his fingers. “Yeah, that. You get it.” He smiled sadly.

He did get it, because he honestly missed that too. Piper hadn’t even been especially touchy (especially when she started having doubts and distancing herself from him), and Jason had usually been too reserved to initiate it, but once it was gone, he felt the absence like an ache that dug under his skin. 

“I’ve got movies,” Jason pointed at the television, and the stacks of DVDs in the cabinet under it. “If you want to hang out and watch something together.”

Percy’s expression flickered from relief to something like caution, as if what Jason said was too good to be true. “So like, Netflix and platonic chill?” 

“Sure.” Jason looked around. “Oh, but I don’t have a couch. I usually just watch TV on my bed, or you can turn the chair around if you’re more comfortable there.”

“Can we ー gods, this sounds so dumb ー platonically cuddle, without it being weird?” Percy asked. He looked like he was bracing himself for rejection.

“Not weird at all,” Jason said. He picked up the remote and opened up TiberTube, the movie and television service created by some New Roman tech-startup. “Honestly, I kinda miss that skinship. The weekend Piper broke things off with me, I spent like three hours in Leo’s workshop hugging his back while he sat between my legs working on some… something. Little metal thingie. I wasn’t paying attention, to be honest, but it kept my mind off things for a while.” He propped a pillow against the headboard and sat back against it, patting the space next to him. “Sometimes you just need to hug your bro and watch a movie,” he said, offering Percy a smile.

Percy looked relieved as he slipped off his shoes. “Thanks, man.” He sat down so he was pressed shoulder-to-shoulder and leg-to-leg right up against Jason and immediately leaned his head on Jason’s shoulder. “Guess I didn’t need to worry about making it weird, since you’re straight anyway. Oh hey, can we watch  _ Finding Nemo _ ?” 

Jason nearly fumbled the remote, his brain fizzling out. He cleared his throat. “Y-yeah, sure.” He selected the movie, and they only had to sit for a few seconds in suddenly-heavy silence while the movie loaded. Jason felt like his brain had its own little buffering wheel too… Just what had Percy meant by that? And what made him think Jason was straight? Granted, he didn’t exactly broadcast his sexuality, and he had only dated one girl, but… Jason was very much not straight. He had once heard the term ‘bi disaster’, but had never really gotten that; he wasn’t really a  _ disaster _ … or he hadn’t been, until Percy went and said  _ that _ . 

The movie had started a few minutes ago, but the buffer wheel in Jason’s brain took longer to realize another part of Percy’s statement. Wait.. was  _ Percy  _ straight? And the bigger question: was he…  _ not _ -straight? 

Before he could dwell on that question too much, Percy pulled him out of his thoughts by wiggling closer to his side and hugging his arm.

“I hate this part…” Percy muttered, eyes locked on the screen where the barracuda was attacking the happy little clownfish family.

“You picked this movie,” Jason reminded him.

“I like the movie, I just hate  _ this part _ ,” Percy hissed and hugged his arm tighter. The movement had him slipping down into a more reclined position rather than sitting, so Jason scooted down to match him. Percy must have thought he was moving because he was uncomfortable, though, because he let go of Jason’s arm. “Sorry,” he looked guilty.

“It’s fine, just getting more comfortable,” Jason said quickly. He was not sure what possessed him to do it, but without thinking, he put an arm around the back of Percy’s shoulders. “I don’t mind if the son of the sea god hugs me when he’s scared of a little fishy on the TV,” he joked, just to break any tension. 

“Barracudas can be up to five feet long and swim at speeds of up to twenty-eight miles per hour,” Percy said, hugging Jason’s side instead. “Also, they’re mean as hell and have a nasty ability to pick out your greatest insecurities and ridicule that thing about you.” 

“Ah.” Jason had to admit that did sound like an unpleasant foe to run up against in the ocean. “Well, then. Hug away.” 

“You do have pretty huggable muscles, bro.” Percy laid his head on Jason’s shoulder. And Jason ー poor, definitely-not-straight, apparently-bi-disaster-after-all Jason Grace ー was so flustered by that, he didn’t even notice that the ‘bro’ was tacked on belatedly, like an afterthought. 

The barracuda was gone and the tone of the movie grew light and happy again. Percy loosened his vice-like grip on Jason’s arm, but didn’t fully release his hold on him. He just made himself more comfortable on Jason’s chest. Eventually, Jason found himself letting go of any residual awkwardness and allowed himself to just enjoy the warm feeling of holding someone and being held in return. Even if that someone kept interrupting the movie with ‘fun’ fish facts like “ _ did you know that if a female clownfish dies, the breeding male will turn into a female and the largest juvenile will breed with them, even if that was their father? _ ” (“ _ way to ruin the  _ **_entire movie_ ** _ , dude… _ ”)

About a third of the way through the movie, Jason’s phone let out two consecutive chimes as he received a couple of messages. Percy was closest to the bedside table, so Jason asked him to hand him his phone.

“How come you guys get phones? Don’t they attract monsters?” Percy asked, rolling away just long enough to retrieve it before resuming his position. 

“We’re not far from Silicon Valley. That tends to keep the monsters pretty distracted, and lets our phone signals hide amongst the greater Bay Area population,” Jason explained, swiping to view his inbox. He had two messages from Nico di Angelo, the first of which read “ _ Jason there’s been a terrible travesty _ ” and the second, more reassuringly, clarified, “ _ Bombilo’s is out of coffee. _ ” 

Jason texted back that he had coffee and Nico was welcome to come over and get his caffeine fix. Nico knew where Jason’s place was; he and Will had broken up shortly before Will was due to stay a couple weeks at Camp Jupiter on a cross-camp exchange program, and the whole time Will was in town, Nico kept popping in to Jason’s to avoid running into him (literally popping in, as he kept shadow traveling directly inside the apartment).

He received a prompt message of “ _ thanks _ ”, and barely had time to tell Percy “Nico’s coming over. The cafe is out of coffee,” before Nico appeared in the shadows that lurked in the corner of the apartment. Percy jumped a little in surprise, his arms locking a bit tighter around Jason’s middle.

Nico blinked, looking taken aback by the sight of them cuddling on the bed, and arched an eyebrow as the shadows that clung to his arms and body dispersed. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked, sounding careful yet intrigued. 

“ _ Finding Nemo _ ,” Percy turned back to the movie. “Want to join us?”

“I want coffee,” Nico said, his mind set on a single track toward caffeination.

“There’s some in the pot in the kitchen,” Jason pointed. “You can reheat it.”

Nico stared at him, aghast. “You don’t have a  _ macchinetta _ ?” 

“Is that like a french press?” Jason asked.

Nico looked downright offended. “It is  _ Italian _ . Italians  _ invented  _ espresso, naturally you need to make it the Italian way!” He traced something in the air, like a pot but more angular. “ _ Macchinetta _ . Three-chambered aluminum pot, usually octagonal. Water goes in the bottom. Essential for espresso.”

Percy snorted. “Never would have pegged you for a coffee snob, Neeks.”

Nico shot him a pointed look. “I don’t need to take this slander from the man who went to  _ Rome  _ and ordered  _ pizza  _ with a  _ coca-cola _ ,” he spat, like that was an insult.

“Yeah, sorry Nico, I just have a coffee pot and pre-ground beans,” Jason told him. “I made some this morning, you can heat it up in the microwave. Or make your own, but then you’ll be waiting a while.”

Nico stared at him and seemed to go through all five stages of grief in the span of a few seconds, then headed off to the kitchen muttering darkly in Italian. Thanks to the shared roots of Italian and Latin, Jason managed to understand enough to work out that it was something along the lines of “ _ ridiculous Americans,  _ **_reheating_ ** _ coffee like  _ **_barbarians_ ** _... _ ” 

Percy chuckled as he laid his head down on Jason’s shoulder again, his breath tickling Jason’s neck where it fanned across his skin. They listened to the sound of Nico muttering and moving things around in the kitchen for a few minutes. It sounded like he was having trouble with the microwave. Jason knew that an uncaffeinated Nico was not the sharpest sword in the armory, so he figured he ought to go help him. 

He patted the back of Percy’s shoulder and started to sit up. “I’m gonna go rescue the lord of darkness from the infernal microwave,” he said. 

Percy snorted in amusement and moved out of the way while Jason climbed over him. 

Once Nico had a mug of coffee in his hands, Jason went back to find that Percy had scooted over to the side of the bed next to the wall. Jason sat down in the middle of the bed, leaving room on his other side, and Percy immediately resumed his position tangling himself around Jason in a very apt imitation of the starfish on the TV screen. Jason tucked an arm around him and patted the bicep slung across his chest (it was a  _ very  _ nice bicep…)

Nico hovered near the armchair, sipping his coffee and looking between the movie and the two on the bed. “So, are you guys…?”

“Platonically cuddling?” Percy finished. “Yep. Just a couple’a guys being dudes.” 

Nico hummed thoughtfully. Jason took his eyes off the movie and glanced at Nico. “Feel free to join us if you want. There’s room.” He patted the open space next to him and offered the son of Hades a smile. 

“It’s not weird,” Percy added. “Jason’s straight, so he doesn’t care.”

Nico’s eyebrows flew up so high they disappeared behind his overgrown bangs. Jason choked a little on nothing, but managed to cover it up with a cough and busied himself by reaching over to put his phone on the bedside table again. 

“Y-yeah, no, it’s not weird at all,” Jason said, feeling like his ears were burning.  _ Faex _ , Percy, it wasn’t weird until you went and said that!

Nico glanced between them, then down at his coffee. “I’m not laying down and drinking coffee. There’s a way coffee is done and that’s not it.” Despite saying that, he did sit down on the bed beside Jason, pulling his feet up to sit cross-legged with his hip and leg resting against Jason’s side.

“Aren’t you already doing coffee wrong, if you reheated it and didn’t make it with a mackey-net?” Percy smirked.

“ _ Macchinette _ ,” Nico corrected. “And shut your face-hole, Jackson.” 

Percy chuckled and tucked a leg between Jason’s, hugging him like a pillow. For a while, they sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying the movie. A handful of minutes later, Nico finished his coffee and set the empty mug on the bedside table.

“If they can talk, why don’t they just  _ ask _ the dentist to let them go?” Nico asked. He leaned back against the pillows propped against the headboard and stretched out his legs, sitting side by side against Jason. 

“Because, like the real world, people can’t understand fish when they talk,” Percy said. “Well, most people, anyway.” He paused. “Do you think a child of Poseidon or Neptune made this movie? And that’s how they know fish talk?”

“I think talking animals have been a staple of animated movies for years,” Jason pointed out. He noticed Percy start to say something, but then Jason’s attention was stolen by the fact that Nico was cuddling up to his other side in a mirror of Percy. He seemed a little more hesitant about it, as he was not a very touchy-feely guy, so Jason looped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a reassuring squeeze to let him know it was okay. It was a bit of a tight fit with all three of them on the bed, so they almost  _ had  _ to cuddle close. But none of them seemed to mind it. Jason was most surprised that Nico was going along with it, but he supposed even the lone-wolf son of Hades needed friendly physical contact every once in a while. He was still human, after all; it was a human need. Jason couldn’t help but wonder if Nico was a little starved for touch, especially with the way he relaxed into Jason’s hold with a small sigh that tickled Jason’s collarbone. He was awfully cute, when he wasn’t popping in and out of shadows and cursing out Jason’s poor coffee pot (okay, maybe he was cute even then…)

A finger poked into his cheek pulled him out of his thoughts. “ーJace? What do you think?”

“What?” Jason blinked back to awareness. Beside him, Nico snorted quietly. Percy poked him again. Had he called him ‘Jace’? No one had called him by a nickname before… 

“I asked if you thought any demigods made movies,” Percy said. “Like, maybe a Poseidon or Neptune kid came up with the idea for all those talking horse movies, or the  _ Little Mermaid _ or something.” 

“Oh, definitely,” Jason said. “To the first part, at least. Not sure about any Poseidon or Neptune kids, but New Rome has its own animation and movie studios that do contract work with big-name production companies in the Bay Area and Burbank. It’s a popular career path for children of Apollo, Bacchus, Calliope, Thaeleia, Terpsichore…” 

“Who?”

“The Muses,” Nico reached across Jason to poke Percy in the arm. “You need to read more.” Rather than retracting his arm, he left it draped over Jason’s middle ー paired with Percy’s, it was like an X across his chest, for X-marks-the-bi-disaster.

Percy, mature as always, stuck his tongue out at Nico. Then he tucked his face against the side of Jason’s jaw, almost nuzzling him, and Jason just barely stopped electricity from sparking from his fingertips in shock. 

“Your aftershave smells nice, dude,” Percy said, successfully murdering what was left of Jason’s sanity. “What kind is it?”

“Uh,” Jason felt a sudden kinship with the fish on the screen that were being whipped along at high speeds through the underwater current. He could feel Nico’s eyes studying intently him but he avoided the other young man’s gaze and cleared his throat. “I don’t know the brand. It was just what they had at CVS.”

“You guys have CVS here?” Percy asked, curious.

“Centurions Various Supplements,” Jason clarified. “An independent pharmacy and general merchandise store in town started by a daughter of Asclepius and son of Mercury with a sense of humor. No relation to the drugstore chain of the same name.” 

“Ha, that’s funny.” Percy chuckled and laid down with his forehead resting in the crook of Jason’s neck. On his other side, Nico was using Jason’s shoulder as a pillow. Jason had never felt so physically comfortable and yet emotionally uncomfortable. Because they were both perfectly fine cuddling with him (dare he say it, even  _ snuggling _ !) specifically because it was ‘okay’ and ‘not weird’ because he was ‘straight’.

But Jason Grace was not straight. 

In fact, he thought he was getting  _ less _ straight the longer they stayed like this. But he really couldn’t bring himself to ask them to move. Not when holding them both felt so  _ right _ .

He forced himself to focus on the movie, even though little things kept drawing his attention ー the little puff of breath fanning across his skin as one of them laughed, the way Nico’s hair was tickling his neck, the way Percy had wedged a leg between his own, the cool bare skin that was suddenly under his fingertips when Nico shifted closer and the back of his shirt rode up just a little, the warm weight of their limbs on him and around him… 

Jason might die of spontaneous awkward combustion, but at least he would die a happy man. 

He realized the credits had ended (they had  _ watched  _ the credits? Who bothered to watch the credits? Why hadn’t the other two said anything?) when the screen blinked back to the TiberTube main menu and Percy let out an exaggerated sigh as he rolled half on top of Jason, like a cat with zero regard for personal space. 

“That was fun,” he said. “Want to watch another movie?” 

“I’d be happy taking a nap,” Nico groused, and Jason was acutely aware of his eyelashes as he closed his eyes… because they brushed his neck, with how close Nico was. “I’m beat from helping Hazel run training.”

“Didn’t you just drink a whole cup of coffee?” Jason asked, mystified. He knew for certain he hadn't made decaf that morning. 

“I only had one cup,” Nico pouted.

“All that caffeine is gonna stunt your growth,” Percy teased, reaching over Jason to ruffle Nico’s hair. Nico growled and batted him away. Percy chuckled and rested his head on Jason’s left pec, right over his rapidly-beating heart. “I’m down for a group nap. Jace makes a comfy pillow. It’s too bad you’re straight,” he said the last part to Jason. 

Could he  _ seriously  _ not hear the way Jason’s heart was skipping? His damn ear was right over it. “Uh, yeah,” he stammered, oh-so-articulately. 

Nico snorted. “He’s kind of an idiot, isn’t he?” He tipped his head up to look at Jason and slide him a conspiratory smile. 

Jason’s eyes widened. Shit. Did he…?

“Who, me?” Percy frowned. “I am not.” 

“Either that, or you’re  _ really  _ bad at flirting,” Nico smirked. 

“I’m not!” Percy protested. 

“ _ Your aftershave smells nice, bro, where’d you get it? _ ” Nico mimicked in a comically-lowered voice.

“I wanted to know!” Percy said defensively, perhaps a little stronger than the situation warranted. “I wasn’t flirting! Why would I flirt? Jason’s straight!” 

“Is he?” The rhetorical tone and the way Nico was looking at Jason said he clearly thought otherwise.

Percy paused and lifted his head. “Wait. Are you?” 

Jason was glad Nico laid his head down on his shoulder again. He could only take one person staring at him for this. “Um, not exactly?” he hedged. “I’m bi.”

Percy blinked, his eyes widening. “But I thought you’d only dated girls!” 

“One girl, singular,” Jason corrected. “Out of one person, total.” That was not a lot to go off of.

“Percy, you’ve only dated one person too, and that was a girl,” Nico pointed out. “You’re one to talk…” 

“Oh, I guess that’s a good point…” Percy mused.

“Aren’t  _ you _ straight?” Jason asked the question that had been on his mind all afternoon.

“No, I’m bi and demi,” Percy said. 

“You’re both disasters,” Nico piped up. “I’m still gay, since we’re all announcing it.” 

“Like you’re any less of a disaster,” Jason reminded him.

“How did you know about him?” Percy asked Nico, pointing to Jason. “Did that come up when you guys fought Eros?” 

“No. I mean, I didn’t have all my memories back yet, so I didn’t realize…” Jason looked to Nico, wondering how he had known. 

“I’ve seen you cuff your jeans,” Nico deadpanned. “And you look at girls with the same interest as guys.”

“Wait, what do cuffed jeans have to do with it?” Percy looked confused. He lifted up his leg, where his own jeans were rolled up a bit at the hem to show off his blue dolphin-patterned socks.

Nico just snorted. “Disasters, the both of you.” 

Percy grumbled a little at that as he laid down again, but he didn’t seem truly upset. Jason chuckled and hugged him reassuringly. After a few seconds of comfortable silence, Percy spoke up again, sounding hesitant. “So… now that we know none of us are straight, is this still platonic cuddling?”

“No reason why it can’t be,” Jason shrugged, and Nico hummed in agreement. Jason paused, then went on. “On the other hand, it doesn’t  _ have  _ to be,” he added, slowly. 

Nico let out a little huff of laughter. “That is the most vague way to bring up the possibility of dating.” He shifted a little closer. “I would date you. Both of you.”

“I would, too,” Jason couldn’t help the way that idea made his heart beat a little faster. He looked to the man on his other side. “Percy?”

Percy looked more conflicted.

“I  _ want  _ to,” Percy said slowly, sounding more sad than those words should be. “But, I mean, Annabeth and I just broke off a several-years-long relationship a month ago. I don’t know if I’m ready to start another one, even if I want to.” He sighed and hugged Jason. “But I don’t want to lose this,” he mumbled, morose.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jason combed his fingers through his hair before he could stop himself (thankfully, Percy didn’t seem to mind, based on the way he leaned into the touch). “We don’t have to jump into it. I might need a bit of time myself. But we can still do stuff like this in the meantime.”

Nico nodded. “I’m ready when you both are. But I can wait, too.” He met Percy’s eyes, then Jason’s. “I’ve waited this long, what’s a little longer?” He smiled.

Percy’s eyes softened as relief swept over him. He reached across their little tangle of limbs to squeeze Nico’s shoulder, keeping contact with the both of them. 

Jason tipped his head to the side and rested his cheek against the top of Nico’s head, his fingers still playing with Percy’s hair. “Next time, one of you gets to be in the middle,” he said. Don’t get him wrong, he was very,  _ very  _ happy right where he was. But he also couldn’t feel one of his feet, and from the pins and needles feeling in his arms behind each of them, they weren’t far behind. (Definitely still worth it, though).

Percy brightened at the prospect of there being a next time.

“I vote Percy,” Nico said. “You’re both too muscley and heavy; you’d crush me.”

“Are you saying you  _ wouldn’t  _ like to be surrounded by our big strong muscles?” Jason teased.

Nico ー eternally cool, unflappable Nico di Angelo, the fearsome Ghost King ー blushed from his cheeks to his ears. “...Yes? No? Maybe… Shut up,” he muttered, hiding his face in the crook of Jason’s neck. 

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said at the top, this was inspired by a couple of tiktoks (which unfortunately I don't know how to link). The first of those is some blond dude moving the camera above himself with two dark-haired guys cuddled up to him and laying on him, with a text annotation that says “they think I’m straight” with a smug/smirking emoji (Pretty sure it’s fake considering he tagged the two people in the video, but whatever, it’s hecking funny and made me think of this trio). The second is an audio that’s popular to use with Nico or other cosplays, that says “and then Cupid’s on some bullshit about _you gotta speak your truth,_ or whatever, and I’m like god damn it am I really on this level of trauma with this fucking guy right now? So I was like _okay, I was in love with Percy Jackson_ , and then Jason’s like _oh, really?_ And I’m like don’t pretend you didn’t know, I’ve seen you cuff your fucking jeans, man, don’t fuck with me like that.” Plus, the trend I see on tiktok of people blowing Jason off as "the token straight" because he's "boring" (first of all, rude, and second, wrong, he's not boring, people just mean). Also I just love this trio and could see this kinda thing happening with them.
> 
> Please let me know if you enjoyed it! I'm also on tumblr at gold-leeaf.tumblr.com if you'd like to follow me there. Thanks for reading!


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